1) The Numbers Game – Let’s get to the facts first. Cochran betrayed his Savii tribe by voting against Keith. Jim called him coward, Dawn was clearly disappointed, Whitney was furious and Ozzy wanted to devour him. Truth is; this episode was nearly all about Ozzy. He stopped Christine from winning duels, he came back and his “assumed” merge came true. Most importantly, he won the first individual immunity in a challenge that requires balance, mental stamina and good positioning of the upper body.

It’s just unfortunate things did not go as planned. Ozzy got confident and failed to remind himself SURVIVOR is not only a game of having as many immunity idols as you can but it’s also about having the solid numbers on your side.

And, who have thought it would be Cochran who got the balls to destroy Ozzy’s master plan?

I saw it coming. I could sense Cochran was up for something after surviving the boot in Episode 3 but I never expected something as big as this. It would take a lot of courage to betray your tribe and shift your loyalty to the other side. Upolu can take him out as easy as A-B-C, right?

Anyway, it’s just a strategic game. Now that two tribes was merged (Te Tuna), the only thing Cochran can do is to outlast others either by little steps or by making a big leap. Cochran chose the former considering he was aware he could never outplay Ozzy, Albert, Rick, Coach, Jim etc. in Immunity Challenges. That’s why; he decided to take risks as the double agent.

2) Double Agent – It’s right to say Cochran also put himself in a dangerous position by playing as the double agent. This strategy could either be good for now or it might only destroy his end game. Can it guarantee him a spot in the finale? No. Will Upolu remain loyal to him? Hard to tell. Do I like it for him? Yes. Is it better than what Ozzy did last episode? No doubt, the answer is yes. Will every fan like it too? Not all.

Yet, here’s my take on this: between a good and a bad strategy, Cochran did the smart and certainly the right move to stay another day. Cochran will be remembered for this move. I just wonder who he’ll stick with.

Will he choose Brandon and be another puppets of Coach?

Will he join Albert & Sophie?

3) The Streak Ends – Christine lost her confidence during her dual against Ozzy. She was nervous and based on the editing, she was trying to do something so fast without the right amount of control, which she needs to win. Now that Christine is gone for good, another story unfolds in Redemption Island and it begins with Keith.

The Savii tribe earned that betrayal. You can’t treat one member of your tribe as an outcast. It happens all the time on survivor. The one I can remember recently was Samoa with Sambo. How can you mock someone for 20 days or whatever and expect that person to still listen to you. Cochran made the right decision, even if he doesn’t go to the end he may have prevented a Savii member from winning, so congrats to him.

Ozzy showed everyone that he could run the table. Speaking of Ozzy I’m still confused how he managed to get himself back into the hearts of his tribe after he declared himself a free agent and went on a tantrum.

I was disappointed to find out that Keith was going to Redemption Island. I was hoping it would end at the merge.

Once again, Ozzy’s game looks worse and worse, while Coach’s looks better and better…

I think the main motive for Cochran’s flipping was personal issues… He didn’t feel comfortable at all with the Savaiis…

I really hope Ozzy will be out soon… He took Christine’s place as the most annoying remaining castaway… Plus his act before the duel is one of the lamest acts I’ve ever seen (if not THE lamest)…

Though I wouldn’t count Savaii out yet… There may be some extra moves from Jim or Dawn…

I can’t wait for next episode… I heard it would include 2 votes with a duel in between… In addition to the fact that there will be only 2-way duels this season… If so, it’s a huge improvement… No lucky amateur advancement this time…

@Mike Savii needs Ozzy’s vote to survive. His vote will make a difference, therefore, they must forget what Ozzy did to them. But they will surely have a hard time eliminating Ozzy when his streak continues in Immunity Challenges. It’s okay for me to see Keith in Redemption Island. This is a new story to watch out for. I just hope there will be no three-way duels.

@Ori I was laughing while watching that Ozzy’s Class D Emmy Performance. I really want to know what Parvati can say about it.

Awesome job Dean! I am beginning to think Cochran may have a shot to at least F4 as when you think about it..who would u rather have sitting next to you? someone who everyone has a vendetta against that you can beat or someone where there maybe a 50-50 shot. Cochran won’t win but he’s golden to take.

[…] with Albert’s idea to vote against Dawn instead of Jim. As the first woman to win the first individual immunity challenge and her likeable personality, Dawn became an instant threat who could also slither her way inside […]